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Republicans on the Budget Committee said in a letter to Rep. John Spratt (shown) that recent analysis suggests the president's policies for reform would not bend the health care cost curve down and decrease deficit.
AP Photo

Digg/Buzz It Up

POLITICO 44

House Republicans on Wednesday demanded an investigation into whether the health care overhaul plan would increase national health spending, following a recent report from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that showed cost increases, at least in the first decade.

They asked the Democratic chairmen of four committees to hold hearings before Memorial Day to allow Richard Foster, CMS’s chief actuary, to testify about the analysis.

“Throughout the health care debate, the president promised Americans that his policies for reform would bend the health care cost curve down and decrease the deficit. Recent analysis from the administration’s own chief actuary, Richard Foster, suggests otherwise,” Republicans on the Budget Committee said in a letter to Chairman John Spratt (D-S.C.)

The report was released by the nonpartisan experts at CMS last week. It found that the overhaul would cover more people than anticipated, but also cost more. It projected national health spending to increase by 1 percent over 10 years. Democrats repeatedly said during the reform debate that the overhaul would help control costs.

“We are particularly concerned that they predict the bill will increase – rather than decrease – national health spending, the $575 billion in Medicare cuts could jeopardize access to care for beneficiaries, millions of Americans will lose their current health plan, and long wait lines could result from a shortage of doctors and hospitals,” Republicans on the Ways and Means Committee said in a letter to Chairman Sander Levin (D-Mich.).

Similar letters went out from Republicans on the Education and Labor and Energy and Commerce committees.

The request comes on the heels of an American Spectator article that said Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius refused to review or release the report before the vote on the overhaul last month.

Readers' Comments (23)

Just to start: It's always unfortunate to quote Michael Steel. With that said, there's been so much fudging of numbers on both sides that its beginning to look like a porta potty at Bonnaroo. The sheer of the numbers involved and unpredictability of health trends in the future make accurate figures near impossible. Let's just put the bill at just shy of 10 trillion dollars and call it a day.

Just to start: It's always unfortunate to quote Michael Steel. With that said, there's been so much fudging of numbers on both sides that its beginning to look like a porta potty at Bonnaroo. The sheer of the numbers involved and unpredictability of health trends in the future make accurate figures near impossible. Let's just put the bill at just shy of 10 trillion dollars and call it a day.

fudging of numbers? how quaint? Its much deeper into coruption and manipulation than your spin puts on it. The bribes and back room deal making with both politicians and corporations is enough to call for the impeachment of all involved. They are all nothing more than leeches on the American Treasury.

fudging of numbers? how quaint? Its much deeper into coruption and manipulation than your spin puts on it. The bribes and back room deal making with both politicians and corporations is enough to call for the impeachment of all involved. They are all nothing more than leeches on the American Treasury.

The GOP has no more say in healthcare reform - they had more than enough chances to speak up and none of them bothered ---- so now --- shut up and get to work! The American people are sick and tired of your feeble games...

The report is just more "dueling statistics." Nobody cares about that, because the one thing everyone does understand is that humans do not know the future in advance. All these estimates of what's going to happen ten years from now, to six significant digits, are so much horsehockey.

Besides, it doesn't matter. Here's what will: companies will start negotiating next year's health insurance for their employees around October 1. By the end of October they will start telling their employees about the large cuts in benefits... and in some companies, the end of company-provided health insurance, that will come the first of the year.

The hidden surprises in the health care reform bill will become apparent only when this year's contracts are coming up for renewal. People are not going to like the hidden surprises.

Democrats think that calling Republicans names and pretending that Republicans take more Wall Street money than they do will protect them from people who have no job, or whose spouse has no job, or whose health insurance is canceled because of the HCR bill.

The R's do not need to wave this report around. The truth about Health Care Reform will arrive in the voters' pay envelopes, not in stories crafted by the media to protect the Democrats.

The GOP has no more say in healthcare reform - they had more than enough chances to speak up and none of them bothered ---- so now --- shut up and get to work! The American people are sick and tired of your feeble games...

How would you propose they speak up? Sebelius "refused to review or release the report before the vote" If this is true the Republicans could hardly speak up. And when they argued it would increase costs, they were told they had nothing to base that on. Why? because Sebelius was hiding the report.Tends to complicate things. So now I guess we should just all shut up and pretend costs will go down.

Besides, it doesn't matter. Here's what will: companies will start negotiating next year's health insurance for their employees around October 1. By the end of October they will start telling their employees about the large cuts in benefits... and in some companies, the end of company-provided health insurance, that will come the first of the year.

Spot on. If the company that is large enough to be required to provide coverage finds out that the annual cost to provide the coverage is $12000 per employee and the fine for not providing it is $3000 per year, they save $9000 per year per employee by dumping their coverage. Try to earn that kind of return in todays economy without being in nobama's back pocket.

Bring on the clowns. 4400 troops killed and one trillion on wars against internet ghosts. Where is all the outrage over the money we pxxs away everyday on alleged defense. Wait until these characters get back in and the till starts to ring for the big boys. No shortage of hypocrites on both sides. Time to suck it up and do something about the issues other than raising money for re-election and trying to nail the other side.

It is ANTI AMERICAN for politicians to vote for legislation unless they know the full financial ramifications of the bill. That goes for Obama, Reid, Pelosi, and every person who voted for any bill, whether they are Republican or Democrat..

Let's face it: most Congressional members are only out for themselves.

If the Republicans had any brains, they would focus on "probing" the exorbitant profits being made by the insurance companies, their cancellation of policies, their denials of claims and benefits to people who have EVER had any type of illness. I also think the Republicans should have the same type of insurance at the same cost (paid for by THEMSELVES), otherwise we will never have true reform or affordable health care for anyone. If they don't have to pay thru the nose and have the same type of garbage shoved down their throats as ordinary Americans are forced to choke on, then they have ABSOLUTELY NO CLUE. We sure never saw good old Dick Cheney get denied his top-of-the-line health care for all his heart attacks and procedures and heart monitors. I'm sure George Bush was never denied all his skin cancer removals, etc. etc. Different rules for the rich and famous. The "caste" system in this country stinks to high heaven.

We regret to inform you that you do not know what you are talking about. Since it is actually quite easy to look up the financial reports of companies, and you didn't do it before shooting your mouth off, we are forced to dismiss you as an ignorant crank.

Medicare Part D supposed to cost 384 Billion over ten years will actually cost 900 Billion over ten years a George W Bush gift to the pharmaceutical industry passed just before his 2004 reelection........drugs bought at RETAIL not even wholesale, and also made importation of drugs from Canada illegal, made seniors HAVE to have their drugs on Medicare GUVMINT TAKEOVER but no outrage no hystrionics, not even a fiscal concern Halleluia GOP where was THAT outrage. Obama tried to tackle the uninsured issue, and bingo....SOCIALISM . Hypocricy thy name isGOP

Medicare Part D supposed to cost 384 Billion over ten years will actually cost 900 Billion over ten years a George W Bush gift to the pharmaceutical industry passed just before his 2004 reelection........drugs bought at RETAIL not even wholesale, and also made importation of drugs from Canada illegal, made seniors HAVE to have their drugs on Medicare GUVMINT TAKEOVER but no outrage no hystrionics, not even a fiscal concern Halleluia GOP where was THAT outrage. Obama tried to tackle the uninsured issue, and bingo....SOCIALISM . Hypocricy thy name isGOP

Medicare Part D supposed to cost 384 Billion over ten years will actually cost 900 Billion over ten years a George W Bush gift to the pharmaceutical industry passed just before his 2004 reelection........drugs bought at RETAIL not even wholesale, and also made importation of drugs from Canada illegal, made seniors HAVE to have their drugs on Medicare GUVMINT TAKEOVER but no outrage no hystrionics, not even a fiscal concern Halleluia GOP where was THAT outrage. Obama tried to tackle the uninsured issue, and bingo....SOCIALISM . Hypocricy thy name isGOP